Jump to a Marvelous Performance

The comic martial arts performance ‘Jump’, one of Korea’s more representative cultural brands, is internationally renowned for its dynamic and humorous performances. Let’s find out why it is so loved and popular.

Jump is based on a non-verbal performance which is a combination of Korean traditional martial arts “Teakyun and Teakwondo”, acrobatics and humorous performances of actors and actress. It began in 2002, and has built up a lot of support and admiration from many people, and moreover has been popular in other countries, being sold out in the West End of London and Broadway in New York. There are nine characters in this performance: a grand father, father, mother, daughter, uncle, son-in-law, two thieves and an old man. The main story of begins with the family’s house being prepared to welcome a visitor. The grand father orders his family to clean their house for a visitor, but just sweeping and dusting is not simple for this martial-arts master. The drunken uncle continually messes up the house, so other family members get angry and fight with him. The grand father and visitor (who looks a little foolish in his black framed glasses), walks in on a family disturbance in which the drunken uncle is being berated from all corners. The visitor is ultimately going to become a son-in-law because he is falling in love with the daughter. He watches the family practicing martial arts, but he takes his glasses off by mistake. At that moment, he changes into a powerful martial arts master. He was hiding his ability behind his glasses. At the dark of night when the family is asleep, two thieves in black smuggle into the house. Who would ever think that the sleeping family members in that house were all martial arts masters? A cat-and-mouse game between family members and the thieves becomes a victory for the family. The perfect harmonious acting gave the audience breathless tension and humor. Their splendid kicking and tumbling fascinated people’s eyes and ears. Most of all, their tumbling, kicking on the walls, at the last part of the performance was so terrific that everyone applauded them instantaneously. If you want to relieve yourself from stress, Jump is highly recommended to see.